Being creative, worshipping together

I've always found it easiest to be creative about worship when planning in a group: people give you reality checks on your weirdest ideas and develop your fledgling ones.
In Italy, we have a circuit, but it seems to be a theoretical, academica exercise - perhaps Toscana is simply too big to have a united sense of mission. But the effect is that worship appears to me to be in the hands of the pastor alone. Few Local Preachers, no Worship Leaders, no Worship Consultations and no Circuit Services that require collaboration.

So, you are invited to inspire our creative Tuesday night worship! The "brief" is below, please contribute!


Theme: All Saints/All Souls - a new look at the traditional festival and an antidote for today's Hallowe'en festivities.

Ideas so far:
Light candles in memory of someone
Ask people to reflect on their legacy (but not sure how)

Suggestions welcomed for: worship songs, prayers, prayer stations/activities

Thank you! Alison

Prayer letter - part 1

[Knowing how my followers are hanging on my every word, I thought I'd send out my prayer letter on my blog over a few days; although you may receive an email as well, sorry!]

I am serving as Mission Partner in Florence, Italy with the Italian Methodist Church. I am very happy to be here with my husband Robin and our standard poodle, Gabrieli (the Italian name is just a coincidence!)

First impressions may be misleading: We arrived into Firenze (Florence) in the middle of the holiday season. It was hot. It had been hot since we’d entered Italy (in our camper-van) on the 6th August. Sun is lovely on holiday, but it has a strange effect when you are living in the city. You selectively open windows and shutters, trying to keep the sun out, but find the breeze (there isn’t one). During the day, the apartment is so shady, you begin to feel nocturnal. No matter what combination of windows and shutters, open and close, morning and afternoon, it doesn’t matter. It is still hot. The apartment has beautiful floor tiles throughout, which we had imagined would be cold to our feet. They are now, in early January, but in August and September, they’re hot. The terrace is too hot. You have to walk the dog before 8:30am, or it is too hot. And you simply have to go round for the corner for gelato at midnight, because it is still…